Written answers

Thursday, 16 February 2017

Department of Children and Youth Affairs

School Starting Age

Photo of Noel RockNoel Rock (Dublin North West, Fine Gael)
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312. To ask the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs if she will address the contradiction between the law stating the mandatory school starting age as six years old and her Department's early childhood care and education, ECCE, scheme which forces children born in the last quarter of each year to start school between the ages of 4 years and 9 months and 4 years and 11 months rather than allowing parents to have the freedom of having their child start preschool and school at a later age; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [7810/17]

Photo of Katherine ZapponeKatherine Zappone (Dublin South West, Independent)
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As the Deputy is aware, the initial Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) programme had one entry point (September) from when children could begin pre-school, and children had to be aged between 3 years and 2 months and 4 years and 7 months by the September to avail of the free pre-school year (i.e. 38 weeks). The programme was then expanded by reducing the age of eligibility to 3 years and by increasing the number of entry points to three throughout the programme year (September, January and April). This means that children can begin to avail of their free place on the pre-school programme as soon as possible after they reach the age of 3. As with any scheme, there must be entry and cut off points. These rules for ECCE reflect evidence based policy and are necessary from an administrative and budgetary management perspective. Regrettably, it is the nature of such rules that they benefit some more than others.

Providing free pre-school for children from the age of 3 was a key recommendation of the Expert Advisory Group on the Early Years Strategy.Expansion of ECCE was also given significant consideration by the Inter-Departmental Group on Future Investment in Childcare which reported in July 2015. Senior officials from the Department of Education and Skills contributed to the discussions on an upper age limit for the scheme, taking a child centred approach.

I would note that this summer we will come to the end of the first delivery cycle of the newly expanded ECCE programme. My Department will ensure that the scheme is kept under ongoing review and that learning from this cycle informs its ongoing development.

I would also note to the Deputy that plans are currently in train to provide for a new national scheme of financial support for parents towards the cost of their childcare entitled the Affordable Childcare Scheme, which will replace the existing targeted childcare subsidisation schemes with a single, streamlined and more user-friendly scheme. The new scheme will provide a system from which both universal and targeted subsidies can be provided towards the cost of childcare. In the case of targeted subsidies, these will be payable for children from 6 months of age up to 15 years of age. The level of subsidy will depend on the investment available and on a family’s income. The new Affordable Childcare Scheme will "wraparound" ECCE for pre-school and school-age children.

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